Department of Justice Adds New Categories to Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program

On Friday, August 2, 2013, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the tragic events at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Sikh temple and because of recommendations from Congress, the Department will be adding a number of categories to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. The hate crime tracking program will now including offenses committed against Sikh, Hindu, Arab, Buddhist, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness and Orthodox Christian individuals.

“The Department of Justice has taken an important step in addressing the invidious discrimination, hatred, and threats directed at innocent communities, as well as individuals in our nation,” Congressman Al Green said. “As a nation, we cannot allow anyone be bullied, threatened, harassed, or discriminated against simply because of their appearance or religious beliefs. People of good will must stand in solidarity against such onerous behavior.”

On March 21, 2013, Congressman Al Green, along with several other Members of Congress, sent a letter to the DOJ’s Advisory Policy Board expressing their strong support for adding new categories to the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics Act (HCSA) data collection mandate. The letter was in response to increasing reports of bias to various Members of Congress from constituents and leaders in the Sikh, Hindu, and Arab-American communities.

“We must learn from incidents like the Oak Creek Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting,” Congressman Al Green said. “As a Member of Congress, I will continue to be an advocate against invidious discrimination, and work with my colleagues to ensure law enforcement has all the tools it needs to protect any potential victims.”